Christmas, Candles and Camaraderie
by REIDFANATIC
Summary: A team member is surprised by the team on Christmas Eve.  That's not the only surprise.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See my profile

A/N: That time of year again folks for a Christmas story. I hope you enjoy it.

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"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Reid asked from the back seat of Morgan's car. "He doesn't even know we're coming. Maybe he's got plans."

"He doesn't," Garcia turned from the front seat. "I checked. And what would he have said if we'd asked him?"

"No," Reid replied.

"Exactly my point sweetcheeks."

Morgan had spoken little on the trip from the Christmas tree lot where they'd found what Garcia had proclaimed was just the right tree. He and Reid had agreed. Who argued with Garcia? They were only there for the manpower as they had attached the tree securely to the roof of Morgan's car. Now Morgan negotiated streets that were becoming snowier by the minute. Luckily they'd been able to call it a day at lunch time. All of this would have been much more difficult once it got dark, which seemed to come on so early at this time of year. It didn't seem like that much snow was falling, Reid thought; it was the wind blowing it around that reduced the visibility to almost nothing and made the drive more treacherous.

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JJ continued to check off her list as Will returned to the house from carting yet another load to the car. "Look JJ, we better get goin' if we're goin'. The snow's really coming down out there and it's gettin' damn cold."

"Language," JJ replied in a sing song voice as she put her list aside, satisfied that all she'd agreed to bring was accounted for and began to get Henry dressed for the weather.

"I don't know why we can't stay here for Christmas like before. What if Santa doesn't know where I am?" The small boy lamented.

Will had a similar question on his mind but decided to keep it to himself for the sake of peace on earth and a faster getaway. Instead he just rolled his eyes.

"Why are your eyes rolling Daddy," Henry asked.

"Yes, why are you rolling your eyes Daddy?" JJ asked as she grabbed her own coat while Will hoisted Henry into his arms.

"I think Henry's imagination was gettin' away with him," Will replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was," JJ giggled.

"But how will Santa know where I am?" Henry continued.

"He'll know," Will and JJ replied in unison as they braved the blowing snow on the way to their car.

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Emily had double checked her list as well and had lugged her loads down the stairs so she was ready when Hotch's car pulled up.

"Emily, I would have helped you with all this," Hotch said as he saw the array of gifts, her go bag, groceries and a pie server that was still warm.

"It's not a problem Hotch. I thought we should get as quick a start as we could. That blowing snow looks nasty and it's not going to get any better."

Hotch couldn't disagree with that as he grabbed some of the bags and headed for the car. Emily followed suit looking quite festive in her red coat and a red scarf covered with snowflakes. Her head was covered with a red tam. Once they had everything loaded and Emily had greeted Jack, they were on the way to their destination.

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Garcia's cell rang and she answered as Morgan continued to maneuver his vehicle. Luckily the Christmas Eve traffic had lessened somewhat as they moved into the suburbs.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Kevin asked.

"Of course it's okay, but get going honey; the weather's not good," Garcia told him.

"Right, I just finished up here and I'm on my way. See you shortly."

"Hurry but be careful," Garcia warned as she ended her call.

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Morgan shut his lights off before turning into the winding drive. The lights outside the house provided more than enough illumination. "I hope the others get here soon." He said. "Well Reid, let's unload that tree."

The two men exited the vehicle and under Garcia's orders to be quiet about it tried to remove the tree from the top of the car with a minimum of noise, fighting the snow and the wind all the way. "Whose idea was this anyway?" Reid asked as they carried the tree toward the front door. He could hear strains of Vivaldi coming from within. "Music's playing; maybe we can make it without being heard." He headed back to the car for the many, many things Garcia had packed into it. "What is all this stuff?"

"Food, decorations for the tree and the house, gifts and all that kind of stuff," Garcia told him.

"Do we need this much?" Reid lugged a third Rubbermaid container to the front step. "There's not going to be room for anybody else's stuff," he announced just as a second car dimmed its lights and pulled into the driveway, "Or did you bring it all?" There was a hopeful note in his voice.

"Oh no, everybody's car will be full," Garcia said as Hotch's car pulled up behind Morgan's.

"That's what I was afraid of," Reid said as he headed for Hotch's car.

"We made fairly good time, despite the weather," Emily said.

They continued unloading Hotch's car as quietly as they could and as they were finishing JJ and Will's car pulled into the circular drive behind Hotch's.

"Oh my God," JJ said looking at the load of stuff on the front steps. "I can't believe we brought so much.

"Exactly what I said when I was loading it," Will drawled sarcastically as if his thoughts had, at last, been vindicated.

"Hey, don't knock it," Reid said. "You're lucky you arrived last. This is the third car I've helped unload." He followed Will as the man popped the trunk.

"Oh you poor thing," Garcia patted him on the back. "Wait until we get some hot chocolate and eggnog into you. You'll be happy as a clam."

"Whoever asked a clam if it was happy?" Will asked before anyone could stop him.

"The term actually comes from 'happy as a clam in high water' because when the tide is high the clam is free of the attention of predators so, it figures they'd likely be happy. It's then just been shortened to happy as a clam." Reid informed him.

Will was quiet for a few moments staring at Reid, "Well, okay then." He then figured it was safer to unload the rest of the things in silence.

Once the three cars were unloaded and the mass of what they'd brought was evident, the group stared at it in awe. "Are we ready?" Garcia asked. Everyone nodded so she stepped on what little of a step was left uncovered and rang the doorbell.

They heard the music from within the house shut off and a few moments later the door opened. Rossi looked at a huge number of containers sitting on his doorstep as the rest of his team, Hotch holding Jack and Will holding Henry, began singing, "We wish you a Merry Chistmas…"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See my profile

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After they'd, once again, lugged everything, this time from the steps indoors, Reid had to smirk at the fact that Rossi's gaping mouth meant this had actually surprised him. It might be worth it after all, he thought as everyone set about removing their outerwear to begin what they'd come here for.

It was undisputed, even unquestioned, that Garcia was in charge. "Okay," she said, "let's set up the tree here. "Guys, we'll have to move this furniture a bit." She looked at the men momentarily when no one moved and snapped her fingers.

"Hotch," Morgan quipped as they each took one end of a love seat. "How does it feel taking orders from Garcia?"

Oh man, Reid thought, this may end up being a hoot. Once the furniture was arranged to their goddess's satisfaction, she pointed to a box. "The stand for the tree is in there," and then turned her attention to JJ and Emily leaving the men to set up the tree. "Let's get all the food into the kitchen so we can make some sense of this stuff."

"Ay ay captain," Emily saluted as she giggled and grabbed the box of food she'd brought and headed for the kitchen with JJ and Garcia following suit.

Rossi continued to watch as if it were a program on television. He wanted to press pause and ask what the hell was going on. Hotch had the tree stand together while Will and Morgan lifted the tree into position and Hotch adjusted the screws until it was straight, or at least he thought it was until his sane mind left him for a moment and he asked, only to be told by Reid that it was off about two centimeters. Rossi was surprised Reid didn't drop dead at the look Hotch threw his way. "Well, you asked," Reid replied in his defense.

Once the tree was straightened, to Reid's satisfaction, the other three stood back and looked at their handiwork. "What's next Mama?" Morgan called into the kitchen.

Rossi could see his kitchen countertop covered with food. A turkey, sweet potatoes cranberry sauce, vegetables, numerous other staples, plastic containers holding things the women had prepared ahead of time, whipped cream and a pie. "Leave the tree to stand for a while. Get a ladder and start hanging decorations." Garcia told him as she placed a few cartons of eggnog and a bottle of rum on the counter. The women, he noted, had dressed for the season. Garcia wore a red sweater with a large Christmas tree on it and dangling earrings that matched. Emily and JJ were more understated, both in black sweaters, JJ's sported a white shawl collar with colorful ornaments and ribbons on its front. Emily wore a turtleneck with poinsettias of red and white accentuated with green holly. He had to admit to himself they all looked very festive.

"Where's your ladder Dave?" Morgan asked.

"Um… garage," Rossi replied, "I'll…"

"It's okay, I got it man." Morgan headed through the kitchen in the direction of the mud room.

Henry felt he'd remained quiet far too long and there was important business to be taken care of. "How is Santa gonna know where I am," he stressed agonizingly.

"Yeah," Jack chimed in.

"I sent him an email," Garcia hollered from the kitchen.

"You know Santa's email?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Your computer goddess knows everything and no, I can't tell you or I would be in serious trouble with the FBI," she told them.

Jack was relieved that Santa knew where he'd be when another thought stuck him as he watched the flames dancing in Rossi's fireplace. "Do you think it's big enough? Aunt Jessica took me to see Santa at the mall and I don't think he'll fit in there."

All eyes turned to Reid standing next to Rossi who elbowed him. "Make up some statistic," Rossi said while trying not to move his lips.

"Oh, it has been proven over thousands of years," Reid began, "that there is no chimney too small, no door or window he can't get through because Santa is magic. He's able to mold his body to the shape of the opening he needs to get through."

"What if he burns his bum when he comes down," Henry asked.

"Fireproof," Reid said, "Santa's suit is fireproof."

The adults almost broke into laughter as the two children looked at one another and sized things up. Santa knew they were here; he could fit down the chimney and wouldn't get burned. They knew they'd both been good boys and the look passed between them that said this might work out after all.

The doorbell chimed. "That's likely Kevin," Garcia said.

"I'll get it," Reid offered.

"Kevin," Rossi nodded his head, "why not?"

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As decorations were hung from the ceiling according to Garcia's diagrams, dishes began appearing on the coffee and end tables, nuts, candies, cheese and crackers, a vegetable tray, chocolates and chips with dip. "Watch that Henry doesn't eat too much of that," JJ yelled from the kitchen.

"What's too much Uncle Spence?" Henry asked.

"I don't know bud," Reid whispered. "Let's just wing it."

"There," Morgan said as he tacked the last piece of decorative ribbon to the ceiling, "done."

"Just in time for dinner," Emily called from the kitchen. "It's just soup and sandwiches and then after supper we can decorate the tree."

Men and boys filed into the dining room for some hearty vegetable soup which really hit the spot after they'd all come in from the cold outside. The wind hadn't lessened, they could see through Rossi's French doors that led to the deck. They listened to Jack and Henry relate all that they hoped Santa had for them. Rossi still remained quiet, finding it difficult to believe that the team had come and taken over his home.

The meal over and the dishes loaded into the dishwasher, the group returned to the living room to decorate the tree. Garcia pulled over another container with lights, garlands and many balls to make the tree festive. JJ and Emily had also brought ornaments as well. Garcia and Morgan managed to wrap the tree in lights without having to untangle them or starting world war three, which everyone viewed as a plus. Once the garland was wrapped around, it was time for the ornaments and everyone got in on the action, lifting the boys to reach where they couldn't until the branches were well laden with a myriad of radiant reds, whites, greens and golds and the tree became a spectacle of shining color and yuletide splendor.

"I want to put the angel on top Daddy!" Henry exclaimed.

"No, I want to put the angel on top," Jack insisted.

"How about," Emily said, "since Rossi hasn't had a tree in many years, we let him put the angel on top?"

"You two don't want to be fighting," Reid said. "Not with you know who coming."

With much trepidation the boys agreed at last to let Rossi put the angel on the tree, giving it its crowning glory. Everyone clapped when she'd finally taken her rightful place.

"Time for eggnog and hot chocolate," Garcia said and turned toward the kitchen only to be stopped by Rossi's hand on her arm.

"I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for doing all this for me. I think I know why you did it and I…"

"You told us in Indianapolis that you hadn't been able to put up a tree for twenty years." JJ said.

"That case was solved," Emily added. "We figured it was about time."

"And anyway, we didn't do it totally for you," Garcia said softly. Rossi shook his head, not quite understanding. "We also did it for Carolyn." She saw Rossi's eyes water at the mention of his ex-wife's name.

"You didn't even know her."

"We know you loved her and she loved you." Garcia took his hands in hers. "That's enough for us. The first Christmas after you lose someone is always the hardest. She'd want you to be happy. She'd want you to be with your family."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See my profile

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The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled; their glimmer reflecting the color of the shiny balls that hung from its branches. At certain angles you could also catch the flickering reflection of the flames as they crackled in the fireplace. The scent of fresh pine had permeated the room. Reid couldn't remember when, or even if, he'd seen a more beautiful tree.

"Here you go sweetcheeks," Garcia handed Reid his hot chocolate with a couple of cinnamon sticks resting within the steaming liquid.

"Thanks Garcia," Reid said as he took the mug from her.

He'd once told Emily that smell was the weakest sense, Reid recalled, but it was also the one most related to memory. The scent of the pine tree, so refreshing, mingled with the full bodied aroma of the cinnamon a perfect complement to the rich smell of the chocolate gave one a feeling of pleasing warmth. These added to the sight, the sound and the smell of the wood burning brightly in the fireplace would remain with each of them. Even when Jack and Henry were adults, they would remember this. It made Reid smile into his mug of hot chocolate.

Morgan took a sip of his eggnog. "Whoa," he blew a breath out. "Mama, how much rum did you put in this?"

"Don't blame me. Emily was in charge of the liquor bottle.

"Didn't I tell you Reid; there's a whole other side to that woman?" Morgan flicked his thumb at Emily as she too handed out eggnog and hot chocolate while trying to avoid being run down as Jack and Henry chased each other excitedly around Rossi's living room, Henry squealing in delight.

"Spence," JJ looked accusingly at Reid, "how much candy did you let him eat?"

Henry suddenly stopped and looked at his godfather. "Um… not toooo much," Reid replied like a child waiting to be chastised by his mother. He closed his eyes, hoping that was the right answer.

"Yeah, sure," JJ said, turning to the others. "You have to watch those two like a hawk. We asked Spence to be Henry's godfather for someone to guide him through life if we couldn't be there, not," she slapped Reid's hand as he reached absently into the candy dish, "as a chance to relive his childhood." Reid quickly pulled his hand back, looking sheepish. Relive was the wrong word, Emily thought as she looked at Reid. He'd never gotten to live his childhood in the first place.

"Hmm," Garcia said, putting her finger to her lips. "Something's missing. I know. Who wants to help me put the presents under the tree?"

"I do, I do!" Jack jumped up and down.

"Me too!" Henry followed suit.

She and the boys dragged a couple of boxes to the tree as the others watched. The boys started handing her gifts to place beneath the tree. Garcia read the names on the tags as she put them in place. "Wow, there seem to be a lot of gifts here with Jack's and Henry's names on them, don't there?"

"Yeah!" the boys replied in unison, seemingly quite happy with this turn of events.

Rossi stood from his place on the couch and quietly left the room.

"Now we have to hang the stockings!" Garcia looked in her box for hangers, the type that could be hung using adhesive but later removed leaving no mark. "Or, since I have to go to the little girls' room, maybe your Uncle Spencer can hang them. She passed the hangers to Henry to give to Reid.

"Yeah, about time you did something after Hotch and I hung all those decorations," Morgan said.

"Who helped lug in three car loads of stuff?" Reid replied.

"Come on Uncle Spence," Henry pulled on Reid's hand.

"Okay, okay, let's get these hung," Reid capitulated.

Garcia found Rossi in the dining room staring out at the blowing snow. "Are you okay? You looked troubled when you left the room."

"No, I'm fine," Rossi replied staring into the eggnog he still held in his hand. When he raised his head to look at her, Garcia could see the unshed tears in his eyes.

"Oh dear, did I upset you bringing up Carolyn?"

"No," Rossi shook his head. "You were right; she'd be happy that you're doing this."

"Something's bothering you though."

"I'll be okay; it was just Jack and Henry…"

"Oh, I thought you'd enjoy the boys, I'm sorry…"

"Kitten," he touched her cheek. "I enjoy all of this and the boys; it was just for a moment there that…" He paused and Garcia waited. "Carolyn and I had a son, James. He died the day he was born." He could hear Garcia gasp. "I think it was just for a moment there I felt… seeing the boys and … well, I never got to have that with my boy."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I never knew."

"It's okay, it was a long time ago, but a parent never forgets, you know, even though we had him for only such a short time." He wiped his hand over his eyes. "We loved him. Carolyn asked me just before she died if I thought he would be there."

"I guess you can take comfort knowing that they have each other now." Garcia said softly.

"You're right, I can." Rossi nodded his head.

"Stay there," Garcia told him as she left the room going to her tote bag and pulling a gift wrapped package out."

"What's that babygirl?" Morgan asked.

"None of your business," Garcia said as she left the room. Everyone looked curiously after her except Reid who was immersed in hanging stockings. He thought at first there'd only be stockings for Jack and Henry but then Garcia had informed them there were stockings for everyone. He noted the names in glitter on the top of each one. The boys seemed more excited as each stocking took its place on the hooks he'd attached to the mantel.

Garcia found Rossi in the same spot where she'd left him. She took the drink from his hand and put it on the dining room table and handed him the package. "I got this for you. I think you could use it now."

Rossi undid the festive paper that covered the thin rectangular gift and saw the back of a frame. He turned it around to see three faces smiling at him. "These… these are the Galens." He raised his eyes from the photo of the siblings all together and smiling. They weren't fake smiles for the camera, he could tell, they reached their eyes. Connie, Jack and Elisha were happy. "Where did you get…?"

"Surely you don't doubt me!" Garcia warned.

"I would never doubt you."

Garcia took one of his hands in both of hers. "You lost your son and nothing and no one can ever replace that. But these three, they look on you as something like a father, watching over them for over twenty years. Gideon used to have pictures in his office of all the people he'd helped. He thought of them as his family. I think this is definitely one that should go in yours."

"Thank you, I don't know what to say." He looked through her red framed glasses into Garcia's eyes and saw that she too was trying to hold back tears when the room went black.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell," Rossi heard Morgan say from the living room.

"Do you think we blew a breaker?" Kevin asked.

"Give me your hand," Rossi said to Garcia. "I know my way around this place better in the dark than you do." Garcia put her hand in Rossi's as they made their way back to the living room, carefully trying to avoid stubbing their toes on all the legs of the dining room chairs. He flicked the light switch as they went by but, as he'd figured, nothing happened.

"Blowing a breaker wouldn't have shut all the power off. The only new thing we added was the tree," Reid stared at the beautifully decorated pine, visible now only by the firelight. The ornaments and garlands still as lovely as before, but a little less grand without the shimmering lights. "That wouldn't be enough voltage," he said as he looked out the window. "There are no lights anywhere guys. It's a power outage, likely due to the winds."

"Rossi," Morgan yelled, "got a flashlight?"

"Mommy what happened," Henry asked holding on to his mother now that the only light source came from the fireplace.

"Of course I have a flashlight Morgan," Rossi replied making his way into the kitchen and leaving Garcia with the others to return only a few moments later with a flashlight.

"That might not be enough for all of us until they get the power back on; it could take a while depending on what kind of damage it is." Hotch said as he gestured to the lone flashlight Rossi held in his hand.

"I've got another bigger one in the garage. I'll go get it," Rossi turned to leave the room and Reid followed.

Garcia was busy digging in her decorations box and she smiled after coming up with what she was looking for. "It's a good thing I brought these." She came to the table juggling four large pillar candles that had been poured into clear glass jars. One white, one green and two red, the jars were festively decorated for the season with holly, poinsettias, snowmen and snowflakes. The others moved the snacks out of the way to make room for them.

"We've got a flashlight in the car," JJ said while she tried to calm Henry.

"I do too," Hotch, Morgan and Kevin replied all at once. The men got up and each, except for Reid and Rossi, who were still in search of the second flashlight, headed for the door, shrugged into their jackets and went outside where the intense wind blew snow in their faces. They put their heads down against it and ran to their vehicles. JJ and Emily began to light the candles, warning the boys to stay away from the flame.

The men returned a few minutes later, each with a flashlight. They were rather windblown with everyone but Morgan having his hair sticking up on his head. Reid and Rossi had returned from the garage. The flashlight from the garage was much larger and provided a great deal of light. They now had six flashlights, four candles and the fire. At least light wasn't too much of a problem at the moment.

They all noticed that the most delightful aroma had filled the room. It smelled like Christmas in many different ways. Scents like pine, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and cranberries wafted through the air as Garcia's candles burned.

"The winds are pretty strong outside so something's happened to the power lines and we don't have any electricity; we'll have to make do with what we have," Hotch explained to Jack.

"Okay Daddy," the boy replied. He sat thoughtfully for a moment and asked, "Is this what it was like for Jesus? He had to get born in a place with no 'lectricity? But he had his family with him so it was okay."

The group smiled at the boy's analogy. "Yes Jack," Hotch hugged his son to him, "it was something like that."

"I wonder how long it'll be out." JJ asked.

At the same time Emily said, "The food."

"We could put the things that need to be kept cool out in the garage," Reid suggested. "It's pretty cool out there."

"Would they freeze?" Emily asked.

"Not likely in the garage. Milk freezes at 0 or lower, the eggnog is thicker and eggs freeze lower than milk. If you've got liquor in it, it's less likely to freeze at all." Reid said.

"Should we start moving stuff until we know?" Will asked.

"I'll see what I can find out," Reid said pulling his cell from his pocket and punching in the number.

"What, you memorized the phone book?" Kevin asked.

"Only the important numbers," Reid said as he held the phone to his ear. A minute later he closed it. "It's a message saying there's a power outage for a large portion of the DC area. They've dispatched crews to the affected area but, with it being the holiday season, they can't reach as many off duty workers as they'd like and the weather will definitely hamper any progress. They will do their utmost to have power restored as soon as possible. DC power wishes us all a Merry Christmas."

"I wouldn't want to be DC Metro," Will said when Reid had finished. "I can't imagine the weather is going to stop people who want to cause all kinds of trouble in areas with no power and alarm systems that don't work. I remember the looting that took place after Katrina."

"Well let's hope it's only in suburbia," Emily added.

"At least we're all safe and together," Garcia reminded them. "That's what matters."

Apparently, in young minds, something else was important. "What if Santa can't get here because of the storm Daddy?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Henry echoed, looking at his mother as if disaster was about to strike.

Morgan backhanded Reid in the gut, "Quick, say somethin' genius like." He whispered.

"Oh…uh, the winds are only 60 kilometers an hour and Santa's sleigh is built to withstand much more than that. He comes from the North Pole; this weather is nothing for him and it doesn't matter that there aren't any lights because Rudolf," he made a ball with his hand and put it over his nose, "he's got that very bright nose so Santa will have no problem finding us. I don't think there's ever been a recorded case of Santa missing anyone on Christmas."

"He never came to the baby Jesus," Jack countered.

"Great," Morgan whispered through gritted teeth, "get us out of this one."

"Well…uh baby Jesus wasn't on Santa's naughty and nice lists because he wasn't born when Santa made his list, so… when he found out, he was already on the other side of the world and so… he sent three wise men with gifts instead."

Jack thought for a moment and seemed to find this answer satisfactory.

"Speaking of Santa," JJ said. "I think it's time for you to get into your PJs. You have to be in bed when Santa comes." She took a flashlight from Will and went to retrieve their 'go' bag. "What are we doing about sleeping arrangements?"

Rossi thought for a moment. "There are three available bedrooms. You, Will and Henry can have one, Hotch and Jack in another." He looked at Emily, Garcia and the three men. "You can arrange the last one any way you want."

The five stared at one another until Emily spoke. "You and Kevin might as well take it," she told Garcia.

"Are you sure?" Garcia asked.

"Yeah," Emily replied. "It's not like any of us," she moved her index finger between Morgan, Reid and herself, "are going to be sleeping together." Kevin picked up his and Garcia's bags and took them upstairs to avoid having to do it when the kids were sleeping.

The boys returned shortly in their pajamas. "We have to put out milk and cookies," Jack reminded his dad.

"We've got that under control Jack," Emily told him, "they're even homemade by Garcia."

"Why don't we sing some Christmas carols before you guys have to go to bed?" Garcia suggested.

"Okay," the boys said in unison.

"What song do you like?" Emily asked Jack.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town!"

Emily nodded, "Okay then, Santa Claus is coming it is." The group sang the song with Jack and Henry being especially happy that Santa Claus was indeed coming that night.

"Okay, you choose Emily." Garcia told her friend who sat with Jack half on her knee while Henry sat on his Uncle Spence's knee."

"Silent Night…" Emily began to sing as the rest of them joined in.

Once the carol was over, Jack turned to Emily, "What's a virgin?"


	5. Chapter 5

The room went completely silent. "Uh…" Emily said. They all turned and looked at Reid, but he just raised his hands and shook his head. This time they were on their own.

Finally, Morgan spoke, "A virgin is," he noticed Hotch's eyes shooting daggers at him, "somebody like Reid." He pointed to his friend. Suddenly it was Reid's eyes that were deadly.

"So you mean, like really smart?" Jack clarified.

"Uh, yeah, you could say a lot of them are." Morgan agreed.

"Oh, cool," the boy seemed satisfied.

"All right then," Garcia said quickly. "Before we get into any more Q and A, let's get those cookies and some milk ready for the big guy." She grabbed a flashlight heading into the kitchen with the two boys following closely behind.

Morgan looked at Reid's face and put his hands up in defense while he whispered, "What else could I say? At least I didn't lie."

"Oh, and you're sure about that?" Reid demanded.

"Oh," Morgan chuckled, "I am so sure that you've never…"

"Guys," Emily interjected, noting Reid's discomfort. "Could we shelve this conversation for another time in case the boys come back in?" She finished the remark just as the boys did come back into the living room, Henry proudly in charge of a plate with three cookies on it and Jack who carefully carried the glass of milk.

"Yum, chocolate chip," JJ said, "Santa will like that. Say good night Henry so you can go to sleep and when you get up you can see what Santa brought."

"Night," Henry waved at everyone but Reid whose lap he climbed on and hugged him, "night Uncle Spence."

"Good night Henry," Reid replied returning the hug warmly.

"Night Aunt Penny," he grabbed Garcia around the legs before following his mother, flashlight in hand, toward the stairs.

"You're next buddy," Hotch said to Jack who bid everyone goodnight.

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"There, they're down but not out," JJ informed them when she and Hotch got back to the group. "We have to wait until they're asleep before we do the Santa thing."

"Hot chocolate's out, but there's still eggnog if anybody wants," Emily offered to do another round.

Everyone declined. "This is one of the most unique Christmases I've spent," Will mentioned and everyone agreed that it was.

"Okay, what was your best Christmas?" Emily asked the group.

"I guess Christmas has been more special for me since I've had Jack." Hotch said. "The first year, I guess when he was two and got the idea of what opening gifts was all about was probably the most special for me. I used to watch the videos all the time…"

JJ patted his back. "You will again and someday you'll treasure them even more." She thought for a moment. "Well you know how much I love small town America?" Everyone nodded and she continued. "We'd been invited up to New York to my Uncle Frank and Aunt Cecile's for Christmas one year and my sister and I were so excited to get to shop in all the famous stores. We felt so glamorous. I knew then that a big city was the place for me."

Will sat beside her with his arm around her. "I guess mine was when I got up and Santa had left a policeman's uniform for me that was just like my daddy's. I'd get dressed up in that thing and pretend to be him. I guess maybe I always knew I'd follow in my daddy's footsteps."

"I remember when my dad took me with him to chop down a Christmas tree," Morgan said. "We were the men in the family and we picked out the best one we could find and he let me help him chop it down. I felt like such a big man that day. I remember decorating it. I thought it was the best tree ever. It likely wasn't but it's the one that holds the most memories for me. I didn't know then that it would be the last Christmas I'd have with my dad."

"My parents were anything but traditional," Garcia began as she squeezed Morgan.

"Garcia," Rossi said seriously, "I never would have guessed."

"Shush you," she waved her hand in Rossi's direction. "We were always doing things outside the norm, Chinese food or tofu instead of turkey. I'd always wanted what I considered a real Christmas so finally my mom gave in and we had turkey and all that went with it. They got hit by a drunk driver that New Years and you think that would make it a sad one but it's not. It made me realize that Chinese food with people you love is more important than a big turkey dinner with people you hardly know. Go honey," she told Kevin.

"I was five and we went across the country to my grandparent's place. We never got to see them because of the distance and Dad said that there wouldn't be much for gifts for my brother and me if he bought tickets for us to go but we were so happy to go we didn't care, or at least, we said we didn't. I was so happy to see my grandparents. When I woke up Christmas morning there was an electric train running under the tree. There was no way anyone was telling me there was no Santa Claus."

"Strangely enough," Rossi said, "it was when I was in the marines and deployed overseas. We went to the program the USO put on. It was outstanding and then we had the traditional dinner, and everyone, to a man, was thinking about someone back home and the fighting wasn't far away, but somehow, thoughts of Christmas and the loved ones at home only strengthened our resolve because we were there for each of them. I guess it just gave me a new appreciation for Christmas, the true Christmas, God sending his son to die for us. Believe me, at that point, peace on earth was all I wanted. Reid…"

"I remember one Christmas when I'd just turned four. It was a good time for us. My mom was on new medication and seemed to be responding well. She wasn't really that into cooking but she was going to cook and bake for Christmas. Everything was pretty good, my dad told me to say it was no matter what. She'd made this pumpkin pie and it was kind of dry and the edges of the crust were all burnt, but somehow that pie was, and still is, the best thing I've ever tasted. I usually always got books for Christmas and I did that year too but there was also another gift under the tree that year that my dad insisted on getting for me, a magic set," Reid's eyes glistened in the candlelight. "You must have a lot of tales of a lot of places Emily."

"Yeah, I do, but my favorite Christmas is this one. There was a time there when I doubted there'd be another Christmas with you guys. We're sitting here in the dark with only candles and flashlights for light. We have no idea when the electricity will come back on and we might not be able to have the feast we'd planned on, but it doesn't matter, because we're here and we have the things we need. A roof over our heads, clothing, a fire, blankets to keep us warm and each other; we have everything we need and anything else is decoration. I've spent lots of extravagant Christmases in lavish places but," she reached to either side and touched Morgan and Reid on the shoulder, "this was missing. In my book, nothing could be better than this."


	6. Chapter 6

JJ turned out her flashlight as she reached the living room. "I think they're finally asleep," she whispered.

"I'll go get Santa's gift from the car," Will told her as Hotch followed him and they both donned their jackets to retrieve the hidden treasure that Santa would leave the boys this night.

"Should we "ho ho ho," or jingle bells or something?" Reid asked.

"Right genius," Morgan replied. "Let's wake them up now that they're finally asleep."

Garcia, now wearing a Santa hat was busy taking down the stockings, except for hers, Emily's and JJ's. "It's up to you to fill those," she told the guys.

"You left that up to them," Emily's mouth gaped in disbelief. "This will definitely be the most interesting stocking Santa's ever filled for me." She and JJ followed Garcia into the kitchen, each carrying one side of a Rubbermaid container to fill the stockings.

"Stay out of here," Garcia warned them, "or I shall put an irretrievable virus on your computers."

Morgan took the girls' stockings down as they disappeared into the kitchen. "All right, what did you guys bring?"

Reid pulled three small boxes out of his messenger bag. "No looking," he told Morgan.

"You got them jewelry," Morgan's eyebrow rose.

"Never mind, everyone will understand when they see it." Reid defended his purchase. "What did you bring?"

Morgan showed Reid what he'd gotten. "I had it on good advice that it was a good choice." Reid nodded not sure one way or the other. "What about you Hotch?" Hotch and Will had just returned from retrieving their gifts from their vehicles. The unit chief showed his offering.

"Oh man, you can't beat that," Will said, "at least not with JJ."

"I feel badly not being in on this," Rossi told them.

"What," Hotch sounded surprised, "you didn't have an inkling?"

Kevin handed Morgan what he'd brought, "Ooh, that'll likely go over big."

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"You did not seriously get that for Reid," Garcia said of the item Emily placed in the toe of Reid's stocking.

"Why?" JJ asked. "Didn't he humble you enough with that star thing?"

"I don't care. I'm going to keep trying. Eventually I'll find a puzzle he can't solve." Emily nodded her head curtly.

JJ began to laugh, "Perhaps he's the puzzle you can't solve."

"What do you think of these?" Garcia held up an item she had bought for the stockings.

"Oh Garcia, you didn't," Emily's mouth gaped.

"Morgan, definitely, Will and Kevin, yeah, Rossi, maybe," JJ shook her head, "but Hotch… and Reid!"

"Even I would never attempt that with Hotch." The flamboyant tech admitted. "Although, come to think of it; I would love to see the look on his face. And sweetcheeks, well those sweet cheeks…"

"Garcia, do not go any further, please or I won't get through this," Emily begged.

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"What are they laughing at in there?" Reid asked.

"No doubt something to do with you," Morgan countered to which Reid tossed a cushion at him. He took the, now sagging stockings and put them back on their hooks on the fireplace. "There done. The girls can't say we didn't pull it off." Morgan said confidently.

"I suppose we should start taking things that need cold storage out to the garage," Reid said.

"The game plan for the Christmas dinner has certainly been changed," Hotch agreed. "We may have to do it another day." They all glanced toward the window. The snow seemed to be swirling around as badly as it had earlier in the day and would definitely make any work on the power lines almost impossible.

"I wonder how much of the city's down." Kevin said. "I mean if it comes to a choice, this is the political hub of the country and they'll concentrate on that area first."

"True," Reid replied, "but places like the White House, The Capitol and the Pentagon will have backup generators so their functioning shouldn't be disrupted; though if traffic lights are out, then driving will be rather dangerous, especially for Christmas Eve."

"All right, no peeking," Garcia said as the women returned to the room. She carried the two stockings for the boys while JJ and Emily carried the men's stockings. Garcia hung Jack and Henry's stockings on their hooks, little stuffed animals peeking out of the top of each one. She then took the stockings from the other two and placed them on their hooks. "There, Santa is officially done."

"Not completely," Reid replied.

"Why, what did I leave out?" Garcia asked.

Reid reached to the coffee table and picked up the plate of cookies. "I know," he sighed, "it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. Ho ho ho," he mumbled as he chewed the cookie.

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After they'd lugged everything that needed cold storage to the garage, Rossi supplied them all with extra blankets. Morgan Reid and Emily had drawn straws for the couch, Morgan grinning from one ear to the other when he'd won. Reid suggested Emily take the loveseat and he'd take the floor.

"No way Reid," Emily countered. "We sleep sitting up all the time. We'll both take the loveseat and just use the ottoman for our feet. Then nobody has to sleep on the floor."

"Are you sure about that Emily? I'm happy to let you have the loveseat."

"We're not likely to get a lot of sleep anyway," JJ told them as they headed for the stairs. "Two little boys will be up before you know it, excited to find out what Santa brought for them."

"Let's just hope we have some electricity by then," Hotch remarked.

"Amen to that," Emily agreed.

Will and JJ snuggled in with Henry who came half awake and asked if Santa had come yet to which his parents replied that they'd have to all get to sleep before Santa came. Luckily Jack did not awaken when Hotch slid in beside him.

Rossi sat up in his bed, the beam from his flashlight on the picture of the three children he'd never been able to get out of his mind, no longer children now, of course. They looked happy; their lives were ahead of them. That's what he'd always wanted for them. It's what he'd never been able to give to his own child. Now James was, at last, with his mother and a little of the ache in his heart eased. The picture had been the perfect gift.

Perhaps God did have a plan for us, he thought. That seemed to be the only thing that could explain his sudden return to the BAU after all those years. He'd worked alone back then and had no idea what he was getting himself into. He hadn't realized that he'd be working with a team that extended from the unwavering sternness of Aaron Hotchner to the flamboyant force of nature that was Penelope Garcia; from the much travelled Emily Prentiss to the small town Jennifer Jareau; from the tough macho Derek Morgan, whose heart was as big as the sky to the geeky genius Spencer Reid, who'd seen more than anyone should in his years yet still managed to somehow see the world with innocence and wonder. All so different he thought, but you put them together like ingredients in a recipe and came up with something wonderful, a family. They laughed. They cried. They fought. They loved. No matter how it may have seemed sometimes, they never failed each other.

He put the picture on the bedside table and turned off the flashlight. He'd better get to sleep because, like Henry and Jack, he was in a hurry to wake up in the morning. Not for the gifts; that had already been given, but this Christmas morning his mansion, no his home, would be filled with laughter, excitement, joy and love. He couldn't wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Morgan shifted his weight to get into a better position. He took a moment to orientate himself. He was on a couch. He wasn't in one of the many hotel rooms he slept in. But, it wasn't his couch. He opened his eyes and saw the fireplace, the flames now only a thin orange line of glowing embers. That's right; he was at Rossi's. It was Christmas. He turned his head to catch sight of the tree. The lights had not come on which meant no power yet. He should put another log on the fire, the only heat source that they had until the power came back on. He turned his phone on to get some light, not wanting to use the flashlight for fear it might wake Reid or Emily. He looked across at the pair on the loveseat. Emily was leaning to her left, her head resting on Reid's right shoulder, his cheek resting on the top of her head. Pretty cozy, Morgan smirked, pointing his cell in their direction and clicking. Now, he thought, get that wood without waking the sleeping beauties.

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The fire was burning brightly when Reid opened his eyes to find his mouth full of hair and his right arm with no feeling whatsoever. Furthermore, moving said arm would mean disturbing the body that had somehow fallen sideways until it was almost on top of him. "Emily… Emily," he whispered softly trying not to wake Morgan on the couch, knowing what his friend would make of his predicament. He got no response. He'd try to move his arm, he thought, and support Emily's head with his other hand. He reached over and softly cradled her head while slowly sliding his right arm out. When he'd gotten it part way out Emily gave two loud snorts. Reid stopped dead, hoping it wasn't enough to wake Morgan. When his friend made no indication that he'd woken, Reid continued to pull his arm out until it was free and he could open and close his fist to get the circulation going again. He slowly let Emily's head down onto his lap and laid his arm on the back of the loveseat. That felt better; soon his eyes closed and he allowed Morpheus to take him once again.

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Morgan woke again, not to change position, something had awoken him. It was still pitch dark. Perhaps someone had gotten up to the bathroom. He looked across at Reid and Emily, now visible by the light of the fire. Her head was no longer on his shoulder but now in his lap and he'd pulled out his right hand which was resting… Morgan stopped and took a closer look. No, his eyes were not deceiving him. Pretty boy had his hand on Emily's butt.

"Hurry up Mommy, it's morning," he heard from upstairs. Oh no, children were about to descend on them.

He quickly got up from the couch and headed over to Reid, not before taking advantage of the moment to take a picture, of course. One never knew when that might come in handy. He was sure he could pass at least ten consults over to Reid with this if he threatened to show it to Emily. He crouched down at Reid's side of the loveseat. "Reid," he said quietly with no response from his slumbering friend. "Reid," he said again a little louder and closer to Reid's ear.

Reid jumped a little, "W…" he got out before Morgan put his finger to his lips for Reid to be quiet.

"Incoming kids," he warned his friend. "I thought you might not want to have to explain to them why your hand is on Emily's ass." Reid looked at his hand that had somehow slid down from the back of the loveseat and now rested on Emily's well formed gluteus maximus. He pulled his hand off as if it had been on the burner of a hot stove and turned to look at Morgan who was on the floor, his hand covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. "If you could see the look on your face man; who says there's no Santa Claus."

"What time is it?" Reid blinked still trying to fully wake up.

Morgan looked at his watch, "Just after seven."

"Seven and they're up already!"

"Come on Reid, weren't you up at the first possible moment when you were a kid to see what Santa brought. That's how it was at our house with me, Sarah and Desiree."

"It wasn't really the same in our house," Reid explained. "Santa didn't go over well with my mother. We had a tree and gifts and things but Santa was another matter. When you've got people singing songs that tell you he sees you when you're sleeping and he knows when you're awake and knows if you've been bad or good, it kind of sets off a paranoid schizophrenic, not to mention carols that ask if you see and hear what they do. When I was really little I could overhear my dad trying to reason with my mom, trying to make her understand that she knew Santa wasn't real and there was no cause to be afraid; which meant I knew that he wasn't real either. So, that meant I wasn't jumping up excitedly to find out what he'd brought for me on Christmas morning."

He hadn't realized that while he'd been talking Emily had woken. He suddenly felt his hand being squeezed and turned to see her sitting up beside him. "Well, he came this year and he heard that you've been a very good boy."

"Have I?" He asked.

"The best," she said as she stood and began folding the blankets that had kept them warm during the night. He wasn't so sure her opinion of him would be the same if she'd known where his hand had been five minutes earlier. "Still no power," she noted.

"Nope," Morgan said as he looked out the window. "The wind seems to have stopped but no telling how much damage it did and how long it'll take them to fix it."

They soon heard the sound of feet coming down the stairs and Kevin griping, "Did we really have to get up this early. How did they know it was morning? It's not even light out." They could see the jiggling flashlight beams as the group made its way down the stairs.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and JJ was about to ask Henry to say Merry Christmas to everyone when he squealed and ran toward the tree. "Can I open them now Mommy?"

JJ looked at everyone, "Sure, why not."

The group sat and watched as the boys tore into their gifts, and boxes of remote control cars sat on top of Lego, jigsaw puzzles, books, a Thomas the Tank Engine and action figures. When they were done and the paper had all been bagged Jack looked up at the fireplace. "Can we open those too?" He pointed to the stockings.

"Why don't we all open our stockings?" Garcia suggested, "and then the adults can look at what's under the tree for them." She began handing each of them their stockings.

Rossi laughed at the little white teddy bear that peeked out of the top of his stocking. Red and blue ribbons were tied around his neck and his white jersey had 'not as lean, not as mean but still a marine' written in a circle around the marine insignia. Morgan pulled out a stuffed figure that had been made to look just like him and held it up for everyone to see causing a bout of laughter. He turned to Reid who also had an animal, it looked like a dinosaur of some kind, sticking out of his stocking but he never made a move to take it out.

"You okay kid?" Morgan asked.

"Um hmm," Reid said but still didn't remove anything. He ran his long fingers down the soft fabric of the stocking from the top to the toe, then back up to where "Spencer" was written in silver glitter.

JJ looked about to say something but her gaze met Emily's and Emily shook her head. They waited for a few moments and everyone began to exchange concerned looks when JJ whispered something to Henry.

The boy moved to sit cross legged in front of his godfather. "What kind of dinosaur is that Uncle Spence?"

"It's the Tyrannosaurus Rex." Reid replied, finally pulling the stuffed animal from the stocking. "It means tyrant lizard king. It was one of the largest carnivores…"


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh, look at this little guy!" Garcia exclaimed as she removed a soft little panda from the top of her stocking, interrupting Reid's babble on the T Rex before it became a full blown lecture. "He's too cute." She turned it so everyone could see.

"That's one of those bath puff things," Kevin stated.

"Yes," Emily said, "I've got one too," she added as she pulled out a bath puff, this one made of a pale blue organza and shaped like a lotus blossom.

"It's beautiful," JJ said of hers, identical to Emily's except in a soft shade of pink. She couldn't believe the guys had come up with something like this. If this was any indication, the men had put some real thought into this and it wouldn't just be laden with gag gifts.

She heard Will laughing next to her as he pulled a little stuffed dog from his stocking, wearing a New Orleans Saints' jersey. "That's cute," he said putting it aside.

"No, look," JJ showed him. "You undo his little snaps and voila, he opens up into a pillow so you're more comfortable when watching the games."

There was no fluffy animal sticking out of Hotch's stocking; instead a white linen handkerchief , monogrammed in a navy blue French script, had been expertly fluted and placed in a black mug that read, 'never question the unit chief's judgment'. Hotch smiled so the girls figured they were on the right track.

They then began to dig in in earnest. Little snippets could be heard throughout Rossi's living room. "That's a good Italian Chianti," Rossi said while Garcia squealed, "Girls did you see this, a gift card for a full package at the spa!" Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Will and Kevin remarked on the new scarves in their stockings.

"How come you didn't get a scarf Uncle Spence?" Henry, who'd stopped in the middle of exploration of his own stocking, asked.

"I don't kn…" Reid started to say.

"Because he couldn't look better than he does in the purple," Emily blurted out. All eyes turned to her. "Well… I mean, I was just speculating that might be the reason. I mean maybe Mrs. Claus felt…" her voice faded out as her cheeks turned pink and she was thankful for the first time that there wasn't any electricity.

Garcia and JJ suddenly bolted from the room, barely able to hold their laughter in until they reached the kitchen. Emily followed quickly behind them. The only adult not totally amused by the whole exchange was Reid, the whole situation lost on him.

Morgan punched him playfully in the arm, "Like I told you Reid, there's a whole other side to that woman."

"Yeah Morgan, I heard you before," Reid replied.

"No," Morgan elbowed Reid in the ribs this time, "a whole other side." He raised one of his eyebrows, "If you know what I mean."

The women chose that moment to return, promising to be good for the rest of the gift process. Garcia pulled out a small blue box at the same time as JJ. "Em, you must have one as well."

Emily dug a little and found it. "It's likely that they're the same thing so we should open them together so we're all surprised," she said.

Reid crossed his fingers as the girls counted to three and lifted the box top and gaped at what was inside. "OMG," Garcia exclaimed, "shoe clips."

"What the hell are shoe clips?" Kevin asked.

"You put them on a pair of plain shoes," Reid replied. "Women have so many pairs of shoes and you can take a shoe clip and completely change the look of a plain shoe for a party or something. They have heel rings that you can put on stilettos as well. It can save a woman having to buy another pair of shoes, although I understand there's no actual statistic to say that it's helpful in curbing female shoe purchasing a 42 billion dollar industry. The average woman owns nineteen pairs of shoes but 15% have over thirty." Emily, JJ and Garcia all hung their heads. "Thirteen percent admit to hiding purchases from their partner." Will raised his eyebrow at JJ. "And a whopping 43% have been at least moderately injured by shoes."

"You couldn't do it could you?" Morgan cut off his friend. "You couldn't have a subject that you knew you weren't totally knowledgeable about. You had to actually go out and study women and shoes."

"I think they're totally lovely," JJ interjected quickly as she turned hers that looked like white pearls and rhinestones so the others could see. "Santa has very good taste."

"He does indeed," Garcia showed her leopard print bows while Emily had large black rectangular rhinestones surrounded by clear ones.

Emily looked at Reid and smiled. "I love them."

"You know something," Hotch said, "there are too many of us. This will take forever and young minds get bored quickly. Let's separate into groups and then at the end we can have contests to show the strangest gift, the funniest gift," he paused for a moment, "perhaps the most useful gift in the power outage."

"Never question the judgment of the unit chief," Garcia said as she grabbed Kevin and Morgan. JJ and Hotch decided to stay with the kids leaving Emily, Reid and Rossi as the other team. Once they were in circles they began attacking the stockings again.

"Cheetos," JJ laughed… "Godiva, heavenly," Emily moaned… "And those socks don't match either," Garcia called to Reid… "Grand Theft Auto five, somebody's in trouble," Rossi said… "The calm water on that stationary might be nice when you write to your mom," Emily remarked… "Oh, I cannot believe this," Morgan laughed loudly. "It's got to win me something in this contest."… "That pin will look nice on your tie Daddy."…. "Look a toothbrush that plays music," Henry exclaimed… "Those earrings will look great on you JJ"….

When everyone had reached the toe their stocking, Morgan shouted, "Let the contest begin."

Rossi rose to the coffee table and grabbed some envelopes. "I'll give out the prizes," he said.

"Okay strangest gift," Hotch announced.

"That'd be me," Morgan put his hand up and pulled some white material from his stash and held it up for inspection. The group looked at a pair of boxers with the Nutcracker soldier on the right leg and underneath was printed, 'Got nuts' to which everyone burst into laughter.

"I think we have to give him that," Rossi said and everyone nodded. Rossi handed Morgan an envelope which he opened to find a sizable donation to the Chicago Police Widows and Orphans.

"Oh man Rossi…thank you."

"Funniest gift," Hotch said.

"Me," Garcia popped up to show them her pen, an orange shaft that lit up with a little guy on the end dressed in green with red hair that stuck out everywhere like a troll. She demonstrated that he could bobble and laugh hysterically.

"It's yours," Rossi said and handed her an envelope. She opened it to find a donation to her grief counseling group.

She gasped, "Rossi, I can't…"

"You can and will… next,"

"Most useful gift in the power outage," Hotch said.

"Me," the guys yelled with their socks and scarves.

"I think it might be me," Reid said quietly.

"Why you Reid?" Morgan asked.

Reid held up what looked like a round, almost flat piece of metal. "What's that?" Kevin asked.

"It's a night light that lights just by waving your hand in front of it and you can put your glass of water on top of it like a coaster and when you wave your hand the whole glass of water lights up… battery operated," he added.

"I think you have to give it to Reid," JJ who'd actually bought the gift said.

Rossi handed him an envelope. Reid opened it to find the same donation to the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. He looked up at Rossi, "This is…"

"My gift to you," Rossi told him as he handed similar envelopes to everyone. "I specified charities that I figured would be close to the heart for most of you. A couple I left to your charity of choice."

"What's charity Mommy," Henry asked when he saw his mother's and father's eyes fill with tears. It must be something bad.

"It's when we give of ourselves to help someone else. People tend to give to charity at Christmas." JJ told him.

"Shouldn't we do that every day?" the small boy asked.

Rossi crouched down and put his hand on JJ's shoulder. "She does Henry, believe me, she does."


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh boy," JJ said when she began ripping the paper off the gift Reid had gotten for her. He'd drawn her name and she had no idea what to expect. She pulled the paper off the plain box, so far so good, she thought as she carefully lifted the lid to find a book inside. She began to giggle.

"What's so funny JJ," Emily asked.

"You may be in trouble after this," JJ told her friend.

"In trouble…why?" Emily quickly reached for the book and grabbed it from the box. "Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis," she read, "heartbreak, triumph, genius and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players."

"Oh, no fair," she slapped Reid playfully on the arm.

"All's fair in love and scrabble," Reid said.

Henry appeared in front of Reid with a box, "Merry Christmas Uncle Spence."

Reid turned to JJ. "This isn't fair, you didn't have my name."

"It's from Henry," JJ told him, "and if you don't open it soon, he's going to explode." She gestured to her son who was hopping up and down with excitement.

"Okay, let's see what's in here," Reid said as he tore at the paper and opened the box. He saw a black T shirt with a picture of the enterprise and under it the words, 'I beat the Kobayashi Maru.' Black, grey and white plaid sleep pants were underneath. "Star Trek PJs," Reid said excitedly. "What could be better? Thank you Henry."

The young boy clapped, thrilled that his godfather had liked the gift and hugged him tightly. "Mommy and I knew you could beat anything."

"For you I would," Reid whispered in the boy's ear.

"Last one's for you Reid," Emily said pushing a box forward sporting the purple tam and scarf Garcia had given her while Rossi was busy flipping through his Molto Italiano cookbook by Mario Batali. JJ said she couldn't resist the Iron Chef meets the BAU. Hotch was showing Jack the new desk set, along with a personalized business card case and keychain, he'd gotten from Morgan, who was now toasty in the new sweater he'd received from the girls, was admiring the headband babygirl had gotten from Hotch and Jack. Jewels sparkled from the center of a gossamer chiffon petal flower in a deep plum. He was sure it was Jack's idea. Reid looked at his gift from Emily and began ripping the paper. What would she have gotten for him, he wondered?

He opened the box to find an array of things that completely confused him for a moment. A bottle of red wine and two glasses were on either side of microwave popcorn and cashew nuts, his favorite. In the middle at the top, gummy bears and at the bottom sweet and sours while the very center held a DVD, Solaris in Russian.

"Uh, Prentiss, what exactly are you giving here?" Morgan laughed.

"I know Reid had wanted to see that months ago and it was just when the Doyle thing was starting to heat up and I couldn't go so I thought I should try to make it up to him." Emily replied.

"Yeah, okay if you want us to go with that, okay," Morgan didn't sound convinced.

"Thanks Emily, you'll have to watch it with me." Reid said.

Morgan began to laugh, spread his hands and looked heavenward, "Well duh!"

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"What are we having for breakfast Mommy?" Henry asked when the gifts had all been tidied to one side of Rossi's, now overcrowded, living room.

"That's a good question," his mother replied. "There's likely cereal and milk."

"Forget that JJ," Morgan and Reid were doing up their coats. "The coffee fiend and I are going on a recon mission. If he doesn't get some, life as we know it may be impossible. Come on Kevin, grab your coat. I might need backup." Kevin did as he was told. "We'll get a chance to see what kind of damage has been done and how far the power outage goes." With that the three men headed for the door.

"Let's get some juice until we find out how the guys do in their search." JJ headed to the garage to get the juice.

"That's okay Cher," Will said catching up to her as she was in the doorway that led from the kitchen to the living room. "I'll go; it's cool in that garage."

"Caught!" Garcia yelled excitedly.

"What do you mean by caught?" JJ asked.

Garcia pointed toward the ceiling.

JJ looked up, "Oh you did not," she said when she saw what was hanging from the doorway. "When did you do that?"

"When nobody was looking, of course," Garcia replied. "So…"

"What is that?" Henry asked, looking at what everyone seemed to be staring at.

"Mistletoe," Emily informed him, "and when two people get caught underneath it, they're supposed to kiss each other.

"Why?" the boy asked.

"Where's Reid when you need him?" Emily mumbled. "It's just the rule honey."

"Oh, okay," Henry seemed satisfied with that.

JJ's and Will's lips met and the kiss deepened until they were in an embrace causing Emily to cough eventually. "It's supposed to stop at a kiss guys."

"I hope nobody ever puts anything like that up at my school," Jack lamented. "If I got caught with Tammy Brady…. iiiicck!"

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There didn't seem to be a lot of snow, Reid noticed as the three men drove east from Rossi's. It had mostly blown around and the wind had caused all the damage. They could see some lines down and although it was starting to get light, homes would still need light to see and they saw none coming from any of them. "Looks like it might be pretty widespread," he said as he played with a ball that he'd found in his stocking. Morgan slowed the car as the traffic lights at the intersection they came to were out. No traffic was visible so he carried on.

"What is that?" Kevin asked indicating the ball in Reid's hand.

"It's a puzzle. It was in my stocking and is supposed to be impossible to open," Reid told him as with a twist and a push the two halves came apart revealing a marble within.

"Yeah, impossible," Morgan chuckled as he made a right at the next street. "I think there's something up this way." They drove for a while before they finally started to see some lights. "Well that's a pretty large area to the east of Rossi's. I wonder how much further to the west it goes."

"There's a strip mall up ahead," Reid alerted Morgan, "and a Denny's."

"I wonder if it'll be open," Kevin asked.

"Well there are lights here and 'America's diner never closes,'" Reid quoted.

Morgan pulled into the lot noting there were people inside, "Pay dirt!"

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Will's cell rang as he was sitting beside Henry who was sipping his juice. _"Grab your coat and_ _meet us outside,"_ Spencer's voice said into his ear. _"We're going to need help."_

"What the hell," Will said when Morgan and Reid got out of the car without their coats? "Where are your coats?"

"They're on the floor in the front seat," Reid said, "surrounding the food and the coffee while the heat is blowing down on it." He opened the door to reveal a small mountain of Styrofoam containers and three trays of four coffees. They each took three containers and a tray into the house.

"What have you got?" JJ asked when they came in.

"We got something of everything, eggs toast, sausage, bacon, pancakes- "Kevin said before being interrupted by Henry and Jack.

"Pancakes!"

"French toast and waffles," he finished. "The coffees are all black. We thought we could doctor them up here."

"Well, the day's not half bad so far," Emily said as she added some Splenda Reid had remembered to pick up to her coffee while JJ and Garcia were opening the breakfasts. "Now if someone could tell me how to cook a turkey with no electricity, I'd be ecstatic."

"I think I have an idea," Reid replied.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: We've come to the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who supported the story by reading, reviewing and adding it to your favorites and alerts.

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"Don't even mention the fireplace," JJ said as she forked a pancake, some scrambled egg and a sausage on a plate for Henry.

"I just want two pancakes… please," Henry added for good measure.

"No, you are having some protein mister. Two pancakes and syrup on top of juice and you'll be running around here like who knows what." His mother informed him. "Did you thank Uncle Spence, Morgan and Kevin for going out and getting a nice breakfast for you?"

"Thanks Unle Spce," Henry replied while chewing on a piece of the pancake she'd cut up for him.

"No, I wasn't thinking of the fireplace at all," Reid said.

"Then what?" Emily asked.

Reid gestured with his hand to the French doors that led to the deck and responded as if it was a no brainer, "The barbecue." He pointed out the window. "Look at that thing; it's top of the line, you can set the temperature, just like you do on an oven, it's got a burner to boil your potatoes if you want or you can bake them in with the turkey. It's almost a whole kitchen." He paused for a moment as everyone's eyebrows rose considering something they hadn't thought of and was right under their noses. "Of course, it'll be a little cooler cooking out there but you don't have to be out there all the time and we can take turns."

"Hey Rossi," Garcia laughed. "Forget Mario," she pointed to Reid. "We've got Bobby Flay."

Reid squinted. "Who's Bobby Flay?"

"Aargh!" Garcia groaned. "Come on you gorgeous mass of grey matter, let's eat before Henry gets it all." She began to laugh and gestured her head toward the island where Henry was unsuccessfully, it appeared, trying to snag another pancake.

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The girls were much more relaxed after breakfast; now that they'd been given a way to roast their bird. They went over the menu as they finished their coffee. "I think the bean casserole is out," JJ said. "I saw that Morgan," she added as he and Jack fist bumped one another.

"Depends on how big it is," Reid began rambling. "If it'll fit into the barbecue with the turkey and they're near the same temperature, then you should be able to…"

"Shut up Reid," Morgan said as he and two children glared at him.

"Sorry," Reid said as Emily jumped up and ran into the kitchen saying she'd see how big the roaster was.

To escape their glares, Reid took his empty coffee cup to the kitchen to throw in the trash and almost ran into Emily as she came to the doorway, roaster in hand. "It's this big guys; what do you think?"

"Caught!" Jack yelled, pointing at Emily and Reid.

"Yeah, caught," Henry agreed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Morgan asked as Emily's eyes went to the top of the doorway and she pointed Reid in the direction of Garcia's little secret.

"Aunt Penny put some miss your toe up there and so now they have to kiss," Henry explained everything to Morgan as though it was a lesson.

"Oh, I see," Morgan smirked as he pulled his phone from his pocket and gestured to the pair with his hand. "By all means, you have our undivided attention."

Great, Reid thought, that's the last thing he needed; to be caught under the mistletoe with Emily and have Morgan's undivided attention.

"Come on Uncle Spence, Mommy and Daddy did it," Henry encouraged the pair.

"I've got a roaster in my hands Henry," Emily said.

"Then put it down," Jack suggested the obvious to which Garcia almost spit out the coffee she'd just sipped.

"You see Henry, your mommy and daddy are a couple and couples do that sort of thing but people who aren't couples don't really do that," Reid explained.

"But Emly said it was the rule," Henry argued.

"You're not going to win and do you really want to disappoint two children Spence," JJ said as she studied the menu. She, at last, raised her eyes to look at Reid's face. "I thought not, so you might as well do it."

Reid looked like he wanted the floor to open and swallow him up at that moment. He leaned in and briefly pecked Emily's cheek. "Sorry," he whispered to her. "There," he said to the boys.

Morgan looked at Jack and Henry who shook their heads. "Bzz," Morgan made the noise of a buzzer that sounded when you got the wrong answer.

"Some rules are meant to be broken," Reid tried again.

"Not this one," Rossi said absentmindedly in a sing song tone as he flipped through his new cookbook and glanced up at Hotch who was trying, rather unsuccessfully, not to grin.

"Look, Reid, just close your eyes and picture the girl of your dreams, pretend she's me and then, as the song says, shut up and kiss me. The boys will be happy, Morgan will get his juvenile picture and it'll all be over. I understand this is totally against your will."

Not totally against his will, Reid thought, but wouldn't admit, as he bent his head and claimed Emily's lips. They were soft, softer than he expected. What had he really expected, he asked himself? But he knew their softness belied their strength, lips that had uttered the words, "It's me," to Cyrus and then had bled and swelled from his beating. They tasted like coffee and something fruity, a lip balm perhaps. They were the lips that smiled at him, talked with him when he needed it and even when he didn't. He had meant for it to be a quick peck and nothing more, but he found his lips exploring hers and when he felt her hands on his shoulders, his went to her waist, seemingly of their own volition. Slowly, and he had to admit unwillingly, he finally pulled away. She was right, the boys were happy, Morgan had gotten his picture, but she was wrong about one thing because, like a shot of Dilaudid, it wasn't over.

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The house had become a beehive of activity once again as the girls were making the meal with Rossi's barbecue. "That thing's better than my kitchen," Emily remarked. Rossi was playing remote control bumper cars with Jack, and seemed to be having the time of his life while Reid had, at Henry's insistence, and with Rossi's blessing, set up the Thomas the Tank train tracks and now Thomas was merrily making his way around it. Hotch, Morgan, Will and Kevin were in the basement playing pool.

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With the meal progressing satisfactorily, Emily came into the living room to tidy up and throw away the take out coffee cups that still littered the table. Rossi and Jack were now playing go fish and Rossi appeared to be losing badly. Reid sat on the couch, reading a book, Henry curled up on his lap, sleeping. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. That was a keeper. As she turned to leave the room she heard Reid say her name softly. She turned as he reached in his pocket for something and handed it to her. She looked at the sphere in her hand, a marble. She turned her confused expression on Reid. "It was in that ball that Santa gave me in my stocking," Reid told her. "I guess he'll have to try harder next time." Without another word, he grinned and returned to his book.

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Emily and JJ set the table with a lovely Yule log complete with candles, fur boughs, holly and berries. There were two tall tapers on each side further down the table as well. Will was putting another log on the fire, overjoyed at having triumphed at pool when suddenly the tree lights came on, just as twilight was settling in. "Power's back on," he called out.

"Oh sure, now that we get everything cooked," Emily said flicking the switch in Rossi's dining room where the chandelier was, at last, able to display its brilliance and beauty.

"Oh well, it's great to have the stove for the gravy and the oven to warm the pie," Garcia said as she stirred the creamy looking mixture in the pot. "Rossi, it's time to carve."

Everyone took their places at the table as Rossi was filling wine glasses with an excellent Pinot Noir from his collection, except for the two glasses that contained soda. The meal that graced the table smelled wonderful despite the fact that the women weren't totally happy with it. Rossi was to sit at the far head of the table with Morgan, Emily, Reid Jack and Hotch to his left and JJ, Henry, Will, Garcia and Kevin to his right. When he finished pouring, he placed the bottle on the sideboard and sat as well.

"Before we eat, I'd like to offer a toast." He picked up his wine glass and stood. "First off, let's just give thanks that Emily is here with us, where she belongs." He paused for a moment. "This was going to be a quiet holiday for me and a little melancholic." He gave a small chuckle. "I say was… because you," he gestured to them all, "descended on my home making that impossible. A tree was set up, my house was decorated and everything was going fine… and then the power went out. We got through it. We had a roof over our heads, we kept warm and we had each other. That's really all that Mary and Joseph had when they welcomed God's son into the world. That's all we needed. I know," he raised his hand to stave off one of the women when she looked about to speak, "it would have been easier cooking a turkey in the oven rather than the barbecue but you did it." He looked at the empty chair at the other end of the table. His voice cracked a little when he spoke and his eyes misted. "That chair," he motioned to the seat, "is not empty; it's occupied by the spirit of those we've lost; his eyes flicked briefly to Hotch and Jack, then Garcia, JJ, Will, and finally, Morgan, "and it's because of the Savior's birth that we know we will be with them again." He raised his glass. "Thank you for all the love and laughter you've given me over the past two days. We sometimes forget that the very best gifts are often not tied up with a bow, Merry Christmas." Everyone began clinking glasses, the flames from the candles decorating the table shining through the red wine until finally they were ready to eat. "Only one thing will make this better," Rossi said as he stood, walked over to the door and flicked off the chandelier.

_The End_

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A/N: Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, my wish for you is a warm, safe and happy holiday season surrounded by those you love.

_Merry Christmas_


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